It seems that performing simple, repetitive tasks that you control yourself not only cleans the home, but it can also help relax your mind, and engender a sense of satisfaction that comes through bringing some order to the otherwise chaotic world we live in.

'We love it when people clean,' says Steve Vogler, strategic marketing director for Dow's Consumer and Industrial Solutions business. 'We take the science, physics and chemistry of cleaning very seriously. It's our job to provide technical solutions to brand owners so that they can make their products easier for people to use, more effective at picking up dirt or enable them to leave a bright shine on dishes after they've dried.'
Dow will be showcasing some of its latest solutions for the home and institutional care markets at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla. from January 27 to February 1. The convention represents a key opportunity for the Dow team to partner with customers and industry representatives in an ongoing effort to deliver distinct functional benefits that enable new label claims and differentiation in the eyes of consumers for a range of fabric, dish, hard surface, and floor care products.

Some of the latest inventions to be spotlighted include:
DOWANOL DiPPh Glycol Ether - Specially developed to offer excellent degreasing and cleaning performance with minimal streaking, DOWANOL DiPPh Glycol Ether is an excellent choice for a wide variety of hard surface cleaning applications, including all-purpose cleaners and degreasers, and cleaners for carpet, bathroom surfaces, windows, granite, and stainless steel. If desired, formulations made with DiPPh may be submitted for the U.S. EPA and California CARB Low Vapor Exemption (LVP), making Dow's product a great choice for those applications intended to be covered by the new low-VOC requirements, providing all other conditions are met.

TRITON CG-425 Alkyl Polyglucoside Surfactant - Compatible in many cleaning formulations and mild to the skin, TRITON CG-425 Alkyl Polyglucoside Surfactant offers good wetting and detergency properties, exhibits low streaking and filming, and produces stable foam in many hard surface cleaning applications. It is readily biodegradable, made from renewable materials (including alcohols derived from natural sources and sugar), preservative-free, and eligible for listing on CleanGredients, providing all conditions are met, and compliant with DfE criteria.

DIAMOSOLVTM 323 Bio-Based Solvent - A low odor, low-VOC cleaning solvent derived from 100% renewable citrus feedstocks. This neat ester offers excellent removal of greasy materials and stains. The product has a vapor properties that qualify it as an exempt 'volatile organic compound' (VOC) under California Air Resources Board and EPA criteria for both consumer and commercial product applications. Along with its mild odor, these characteristics make it an excellent choice for household and industrial cleaner formulators looking to develop high performing, ultra-low VOC products.

SUPRACARETM Performance-Enhancing Cellulose Polymers - Designed for use in the last rinse step of the wash cycle, these novel polymers impart softness, longevity and shrink resistance for fabric and clothes. The SUPRACARE platform is cellulosics based, derived from renewable plant-based materials. Dow offers multiple grades of SUPRACARETM to help solve formulation issues enabling both light and heavy duty laundry.

Nilesh Shah, director of research and development for this business, notes that his staff is extremely zealous about understanding the challenges of cleaning. 'We have scientists who make a living doing laundry, polishing floors and cleaning hard surfaces with carefully selected formulations, but they also are studying the mechanisms of releasing dirt from hard surfaces, or how to pick up dirt from clothes without letting it redeposit on the fabric. This is pretty sophisticated stuff, all done with the consumer in mind. Then they test their results for effectiveness, and adjust ingredients, until just the right formulation is found for each brand owner we serve.'
To learn more about Dow's products for the home and institutional care markets, and other innovative ingredients, visit with the Dow team at the ACI Annual Convention, which will take place January 27 to February 1, 2014 in Orlando, Fla. - or visit http://dcis.dow.com to view the full Dow home and institutional care portfolio.

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately $57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to 'Dow' or the 'Company' mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.